MRI apparatus is for obtaining a magnetic resonance image to represents physical characteristics of a subject (hereinafter referred to as an MR image), when electromagnetic waves are irradiated to a subject placed in a homogeneous static magnetic field, by detecting nuclear magnetic resonance signals (hereinafter referred to as NMR signals) from the subject using NMR phenomenon being generated in nuclei of atomic elements forming the body of the subject, and reconstructing an image using the detected NMR signals.
In MRI, a technique for imaging a wide range or an entire body region of a subject while moving the table on which the subject is placed in a gantry of an MRI apparatus is well known. There are two ways of moving the table in such technique. One is a method that divides a wide range or the entire body region of a subject into a plurality of blocks and to construct an image, while moving the table, stepwise in each block (for example, see Patent Document 1). Another one is a method to construct an image of a wide range or the entire body region of a subject by imaging and moving the table continuously at the same time (for example, see Patent Document 2 or Non-Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1: U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,085
Patent Document 2: JP-A-2004-661
Non-Patent Document 1: Kruger D G, Riederer S J, Grimm R C, Rossman P J.: Continuously Moving Table Data Acquisition Method for Long FOV Contrast-Enhanced MRA and Whole-body MRI. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 47(2):224-231 (2002).
However, moving direction of the table with regard to the above-mentioned two methods is only toward central-axis of longitudinal direction of the table. Also, in the method for segmenting a wide range or the entire body range of the subject into a plurality of blocks and moving the table stepwise in each block, the field of view (hereinafter referred to as FOV) to be set in each block is constant, and they are generally arranged at even intervals only in the central-axis direction of longitudinal direction of the table.